MYD Among Thousands Globally to Rise for Climate

Thousands of delegates flooded Bangkok to attend the SB48-2 Bangkok Climate Change Conference from the 4th – 9th September 2018. The conference aims to accelerate the progress of achieving the Paris Agreement goals by consolidating the Paris Agreement Work Programme. While Parties are caught up in meeting rooms negotiating for a better world, the Non-Party Stakeholders, in particular the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), are making noise outside the conference space. It’s already approaching the final day of negotiations, and the Parties have made little progress.

Thousands of people globally have joined in the movement to Rise for Climate – including the Malaysian Youth Delegation. The movement garnered the participation of 95 countries, with over 900 actions being carried out on the same day. The key objective of the movement is to urge governments to end dependency of fossil fuels and transition into renewable energy.

Demonstrations took place right outside the United Nations Conference Centre. About 200 people that comprised of international and local climate change NGOs, women group and youth group showed up to protest, chant, sing, shout and stand in solidarity with people who are rightfully concerned about the people and the planet. These so called “climate activists” are demanding immediate action to ensure that the clear targets of this SB48-2 are met, and strongly calls for climate justice now.

The CSOs are facing distress in the lack of progress being made in Bangkok, especially when the purpose of the conference is to come up with the draft legal framework, which is the Paris Agreement Work Programme, to limit the global temperature rise to 2C, preferably 1.5C. CSOs are also doubtful on whether or not specific tracks under the Subsidiary Bodies can get their draft decision texts in time for COP24.

Albeit the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations being a party-driven process, both Parties and CSOs have to co-exist as climate change affects all. MYD took a stance with the rest of the CSOs at the Rise for Climate, resonating common objectives to end dependency of fossil fuels, to have just transition to renewable energy, to advocate for youth voices to be heard, to uphold intergenerational equity, and to demand for climate justice now.